The ESI Podcast: the opportunity at the intersection of esports and gambling

Here at Esports Insider we’re delighted to introduce the ESI Podcast, in partnership with Mishcon de Reya.

The four-part series will cover topics from betting through to intellectual property issues in the burgeoning esports space. Each episode features our host, Ollie Ring, Head of Media at Esports Insider, a guest from our partners, Mishcon de Reya and two industry leading guests.

The first episode of the series covers the ever interesting opportunity at the intersection of esports and gambling. The podcast lineup is as follows:

• Ollie Ring, Head of Media, Esports Insider (Host)
• Nick Nocton, Partner, Mishcon de Reya
• Sujoy Roy, Director of Esports, Luckbox
• Filip Wargeus, Brand Development Manager, Kindred Group PLC (Unibet)

Gambling and esports continues to have a rocky relationship across the board. Although the industry has arguably left behind the worst with regards to the illegal and unregulated skin betting industry – bad practice still exists.

Publishers such as Riot and Blizzard do not allow gambling sponsors near League of Legends or Overwatch respectively, whilst Valve has a lot more relaxed approach when it comes to event sponsorship.

In recent years, the industry has seen the likes of Betway and GG.Bet spend a lot of money in both team and events sponsorship and more recently, Unibet has become involved with Danish giants Astralis. 

There’s little doubt that there’s significant appetite for esports betting, but it’s important to have it provided and consumed in a regulated environment and companies such as Luckbox and Unibet are going to market with exactly that. 

Furthermore, the repeal of PASPA in the United States has provided opportunity for the country to legalise sports betting across the country, and the podcast delves into what this could mean for esports as sports betting. 

The podcast covers all angles of esports and betting and looks at how traditional sports and gambling have developed in harmony as well as looking at what the future may look like for the two industries. 

The Esports Insider podcast in partnership with Mishcon de Reya will return next week, looking at the art of running tournaments – with guests from both ESL and FACEIT. 

ESI NYC - April 23rd - View Tickets